Why? Because first of all, inconsistency was the theme of the night. And secondly, because it was the preseason opener.

“I wanted to just get us back in there knowing we had live bullets,” said starting quarterback Jay Cutler, who was 9-for-13 for 85 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. “Out here the ball has to go or you’re going to get hit. It was good just to get into a rhythm.”

The starters got two series each on both sides of the ball, and the Bears led 7-0 when the backups were given the spotlight. And even though the Eagles’ subs fared a little better the Bears’ reserves did, Chicago came out on top in the end — and more importantly, it started to answer some of those lingering training-camp questions.

“I’m excited for what they did tonight,” Chicago head coach Marc Trestman said. “The red flag was all the yellow flags — there were way too many penalties.

“But overall, this was a good win.”

While the newly formed defense for the Bears looked solid, the offense racked up 491 yards of offense, including just under 400 yards (399) through the air. The Bears finished with 14 penalties for 103 yards, however, and it was far from a clean game throughout.

The starting defense, which was without new star defensive end Jared Allen and two of its starting defensive backs from a year ago, still allowed just 14 rushing yards and had two takeaways in the first quarter. The Bears’ defense forced four turnovers on the night and allowed just 76 rushing yards.

In one of the weakest positions headed into training camp, Ryan Mundy and Danny McCray got the nods to start at safety. Mundy got the first takeaway for the Bears, too, ending the initial drive of the game.

“This is an opportunity for us to work on our vision on the quarterback and get a good break,” said Mundy, who came over as a free agent in the offseason. “And basically that’s what happened on that play.”

There was also some progress made at the backup quarterback and backup running back positions — two spots where the Bears desperately needed to see some progress.

Jimmy Clausen (7-for-13 for 150 yards with two TDs) moved past Jordan Palmer (8-for-11 for 104 yards with one TD and one interception) after the first preseason game, mostly because of Palmer’s ugly interception on his second possession and Clausen’s solid third quarter that included a 73-yard TD pass to Chris Williams.

Page 2 of 2 - And while Bears’ fans know what they have with Matt Forte, they have very little idea what is behind him. Shaun Draughn, Ka’Deem Carey, Senorise Perry, Michael Ford and Jordan Lynch all got their hands on the ball Friday, giving the Bears’ coaching staff some real film to study from.

And while wideouts Williams, Eric Weems and Josh Morgan all made plays while fighting for the No. 3 wideout slot, the backup tight end situation cleared up a bit. Zach Miller’s performance may have given suspended Martellus Bennett a little more incentive to straighten up as well.

Miller had the team’s first TD of the year on a 10-yard catch from Cutler, and he side-stepped a couple of would-be tacklers on a 17-yard completion later in the second quarter en route to a six-catch, 68-yard, two-TD night.

“We just want to get him in games and see how he can do,” Cutler said of Miller, who helped everyone forget about the mess surrounding Bennett, at least for one night. “Every time he’s had an opportunity he’s made a play. ... He has been a nice addition for the offense and we’re excited to use him more.”

And what about the special teams, in some disarray to start the season after having to replace a punter (Adam Podlesh) and the all-time greatest returnman (Devin Hester)? Not good. A blocked field goal, three bad punts and a kickoff return for a touchdown — allowed — all unraveled in the first half alone, giving those units plenty to focus on for the rest of camp.

Of course, a win’s a win, preseason or not. And the evaluation stage certainly got a boost. But as the Bears showed on Friday, they still have plenty to work out before they are ready to open the regular season on Sept. 7.